Easter greetings, then and now

Sun rises over the Sea of Galilee.

“Christ is risen!”

“Christ is risen indeed!”

The ancient phrase, so familiar at Easter, was once the way Christians greeted each other throughout the year. Inspired by language from the New Testament, the words embrace the central theological teaching of Christianity. At one time, every encounter between believers seemed worthy of this urgent affirmation of the Paschal Greeting. 

The origin of the two phrases is often traced to two biblical passages. The first is Mary Magdalene’s experience as it is recounted in Matthew 28. 

Mourning Jesus after the crucifixion, she and a friend went to his tomb early in the morning on the first day of the week to anoint his body. When they arrived, the earth shook and an angel appeared to roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb. The guards present were shaken as the angel spoke to Mary:

“Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised . . . .”

Entrusted with carrying the message to the disciples, Mary rushed to share it with them. 

The second line comes from the story in Luke 24. Two men were walking the road to Emmaus, talking about Jesus. Someone they did not recognize joined them and asked what they were discussing. One of them, Cleopas, explained their experience of Jesus.

When Cleopas reached what he thought was the end of the story, the stranger spoke about the Messiah, Moses and the prophets. Captured by his words, Cleopas and his friend invited the stranger to accompany them as they met friends for dinner.

“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened.” They recognized Jesus just before he vanished from their sight. The men immediately returned to Jerusalem, found the mourning disciples and greeted them, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed . . . .”

For centuries since, the Paschal Greeting has been part of Eastern and Western liturgies and is repeated today in Catholic and some Protestant churches. Traditionally, the greeting is used from Easter until Pentecost Sunday, fifty days later.

Often rendered in the present tense, “Christ is risen,” the greeting bears more than a shared memory of the past or even a “once-and-done” occurrence. The Paschal Greeting embraces an urgency, an as-we-speak-this-minute, right-now acknowledgment that Christ is risen, is with us now. 

Like the first followers of Jesus, modern Christians live in unsettling times. Confusion, chaos, and pain surrounds most of us. Many believers are frightened by the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Easter brings to mind the ancient greeting that is the core of our faith. Then, as now, we need that assurance of hope – and its affirmation.

“Christ is risen!”

“Christ is risen indeed!”